March 2, 2022
A Kingaroy man charged last October with a string of child abuse offences was arrested as part of an international investigation targeting the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, it has been revealed.
The man, who is due to reappear in Kingaroy Magistrates Court on Thursday, is one of 121 men who have been arrested across Australia who face a total of 1248 charges.
Known globally as Operation H, the multinational law enforcement effort resulted in 153 children being removed from harm across the world, including 79 in the United Kingdom, 51 in Australia, 12 in Canada, six in New Zealand, four in the United States and one in Europe.
The local enforcement, known as Operation Molto, was led by New Zealand authorities and co-ordinated by the Australian Federal Police.
It began in 2019, when the AFP’s Australian Centre To Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received intelligence from New Zealand’s Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs showing thousands of people were using a cloud storage platform to share child material abuse online.
Investigators worked with police from every State and Territory in Australia to execute 158 search warrants across the country.
In Queensland, Taskforce Argos detectives – in partnership with local police – investigated Queensland user accounts allegedly linked to the cloud storage platform.
As a result, police executed a total of 71 search warrants across the State, from the Gold Coast to Cairns and from Toowoomba to Mount Isa.
In Queensland, 23 children were removed from harm and 58 people arrested on 423 charges – including the 26-year-old man in Kingaroy and a 30-year-old man from the Somerset region.
Some of the men charged are also accused of producing their own child abuse material online.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Lesa Gale said the hard-work, diligence and co-operation of police across every State and Territory should be recognised.
“The work of police across Australia in rescuing these children shows that victims remain front of mind for law enforcement,” Assistant Commissioner Gale said.
“Viewing, distributing or producing child abuse material is a horrific crime. Children are not commodities and the AFP and its partner agencies work around-the-clock to identify and prosecute offenders.
“The success of Operation Molto demonstrates the importance of partnerships for law enforcement, at a national level here in Australia, but also at an international level, with our colleagues in New Zealand and around the world.”
The alleged Australian offenders are aged between 18 and 61 years old:
- Queensland – 58 men facing 423 charges; 23 children removed from harm
- Victoria – 18 men facing 370 charges; eight children removed from harm
- NSW – 17 men facing 96 offences; three children removed from harm
- South Australia – 12 men facing 232 charges; 10 children removed from harm
- Western Australia – eight men facing nine charges
- Tasmania – three men facing 54 charges; two children removed from harm
- Northern Territory – two men facing 16 charges
- ACT – three men facing 48 charges; five children removed from harm
They were employed in range of occupations, including construction, transport, law enforcement and hospitality.
“The possession of child exploitation material is not a victimless crime. Anyone involved in possessing or sharing these images continues the cycle of victimisation and abuse of the children depicted in this material,” Queensland Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Denzil Clark said.
“These results highlight the tenacity and commitment of the Queensland Police in protecting our community.”
Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800-333-000 or alert the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation
- Related article: Man Faces Child Sex Charges
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Raw video of Operation Molto arrests in Queensland, supplied by Queensland Police
